Help: recording videos

Record this tab, or record a window or screen?

Record this tab records only the page you are on, with its sound. KomaShot also follows your pointer and clicks there, so the video zooms in on every click by itself.

Record window or screen opens a small recorder window: press Start recording, then pick a screen, a window or a tab in Chrome’s dialog. Use it for anything outside one page, such as another app, several tabs or DevTools. These videos do not zoom by themselves; add zooms by hand in the video editor.

Why are DevTools, the address bar and other tabs missing from my video?

When a tab is recorded, the browser hands over only the page itself. Everything around it, including DevTools docked in the same window, is left out, and no extension can change that.

To show DevTools, choose Record window or screen and pick the Chrome window in Chrome’s dialog. If DevTools is in a separate window, pick the entire screen.

Why does Chrome say “Read and change all your data on all websites” when I turn on recording?

One-click tab recording needs a browser permission, and Chrome describes every permission of this kind with that standard sentence. KomaShot uses it only to record the tab you start recording, and recordings stay on your computer unless you upload them.

You do not have to allow it. Choose Use the share picker instead: Chrome then asks which tab to record each time.

One-click recording is on, but this tab still cannot be recorded directly

The browser does not let KomaShot record a tab that was already in use before you turned one-click recording on, even after a reload. Click Open in a new tab, then click Record this tab there. For this one time you can also choose Use the share picker.

On a Mac: “Chrome is not allowed to record the screen”

macOS has to allow Chrome to record the screen before you can record a window or the whole screen. Open System Settings › Privacy & Security › Screen Recording, turn Google Chrome (or Microsoft Edge) on, restart the browser and try again.

The microphone or webcam does not work

Recordings run in the background, where the browser cannot ask for permission. In the KomaShot menu, click Allow microphone / camera, then Allow access on the page that opens.

If access stays blocked, click the icon at the left of the address bar on that page, allow the microphone and camera in its site settings, and try again. If KomaShot says the chosen device is not available, plug it in or pick another one in the menu.

How long can a recording be, and how much space does it need?

Up to 30 minutes per recording. A long recording needs a few GB of free disk space while it is recorded and prepared for editing; if space runs out, KomaShot tells you. Free some space and open the recording again.

Why did my video not zoom in on some clicks?

Auto-zoom needs to see your clicks. It cannot see clicks inside embedded frames (an app shown inside another site), on pages that do not allow extensions such as browser settings and web stores, or after the tab moves to another website. When a tab is recorded through the share picker, the page also has to be a secure https page.

You can always add a zoom by hand in the video editor: move the playhead and click Add zoom, or press Z.

Where are my recordings, and how do I get an MP4 or a GIF?

Recordings are kept in your browser on this computer. Open History from the KomaShot menu and choose Videos, then click Edit on a recording.

In the editor, click Export, choose MP4, WebM or GIF and download the file. GIF is limited to 2 minutes; for longer videos use MP4 or WebM. To free space, delete recordings in History or in Settings › Recording.

My recording stopped on its own. Is it lost?

No. If the browser or the extension stops during a recording, everything recorded up to that moment is kept. The recording shows Interrupted in History, and you can still edit and export it.